It’s Nearly Impossible For Teens To Find Summer Jobs Anymore, Says Frustrated Mom
Summer jobs are looking like a thing of the past.
BearFotos / Shutterstock When summer break comes around, many parents expect their teens to find part-time jobs. But for teens today, landing a summer gig has become an unexpected challenge.
The horrible job market we're all experiencing right now isn't only affecting adults. Teenagers are struggling to find seasonal, entry-level positions that will allow them to make a bit of money and start building their resumes while they're still in school, as one mom saw when her teenage children tried to find summer jobs.
A mom took to social media to share the difficulties her teenagers are facing trying to land a summer job.
TikTok user @southern_eh posted a video explaining her experience helping her teenage children find jobs for the summer. She expressed her frustration for them, saying, "It's apparently impossible to find a job."
The mom cited higher standards than when her kids had previously applied for jobs, claiming, "They have to be all the way dressed up, they need resumes ... have fun writing a resume for a seventeen-year-old."
She also shared that one of her kids, who is currently in business school at a university, has recently been through two rounds of interviews (with a third coming up) at a chain restaurant. She joked, "Apparently they need to be a CEO of some Big Six firm before they are gonna get hired."
Commenters described similar experiences and blamed understaffing and oversaturation for the job shortages.
Most users blamed older adults for occupying these low-paid positions. One user said, "When people aged 50-70 [years old] are working at grocery stores, ice cream shops and restaurants....yea, there are no jobs." A second user stated, "Boomers are still working. They refuse to retire or can’t due to financials, so they are working at a lot of places most teenagers start working at."
Some commenters cited changes to the workforce as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Another user wrote, "Businesses realized they could get away with the absolute bare minimum of staffing during Covid to maximize profit and they never looked back."
In April, 5,488,000 workers between 16 and 19 were employed, according to non-seasonally adjusted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s the lowest April total since 2022, according to employment consulting experts, Challenger, Gray, & Christmas, Inc. Andrew Challenger, labor and workplace expert and Senior Vice President of Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc., noted that things won't likely get better. “This summer, we may not see the opportunities manifest. With the current socio-political climate, we may see fewer tourists; with the expected impact of tariffs, we may see higher prices and lower consumer demand. Those who traditionally hire in the summer may hold off this year.”
Businesses claim that "no one wants to work", but in reality, most applicants are getting ghosted or rejected. A user shared, "one of my friends got into a literal IVY LEAGUE yet got rejected after 2 rounds of interviews at olive garden…. Make it make sense."
The job market is more competitive than ever, making it harder for teens to find jobs.
The number of teens in the workforce has been slowly declining over the last few decades. CNBC reported, "In 1979, nearly 60% of American teenagers were employed, an all-time high. Today, just over one-third, or 35%, of teens between the ages of 16 and 19 are part of the workforce."
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The difficulties teens are facing when job searching aren't necessarily due to inexperience or unpreparedness. Positions that have previously been filled by high-school-age kids are now taken by adults who can't find a higher-paying job or have to work two jobs to make ends meet. Hiring requirements have also gotten stricter, with many employers asking for a significant amount of experience, even for entry-level roles.
Additionally, school and extracurricular demands have been much more time-consuming than in the past. Teens are participating in summer classes and other academic programs that help prepare them for college, and they may be volunteering or participating in clubs that will boost their applications.
Though the odds seem to be stacked against them, teens shouldn't get discouraged. Getting a job in high school may be more difficult than it used to be, but if they persevere, it will provide them with valuable experience and life skills that will benefit them in college and beyond.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
